My Love Letter to Severus Snape

The lovely Frankie Diane is hosting a blogfest today! Yes, that's right, today is the Love Letters to Literary Crushes blogfest, where we all chime in to share the love about our favorite literary guy or gal and take the attention off Edward and Jacob('s abs) for a change. And my literary crush is certainly unconventional.

*Waits patiently while every double and triple checks the title of this post.*

Yes, folks, that's right, my literary crush is one Mr. Severus Snape. (I don't think I need to warn you that the rest of this post will be absolutely rife with spoilers for the entire Harry Potter series, particularly the seventh book, so if you happen to be someone who hasn't read the Harry Potter books, may I suggest that you stop reading this post immediately and run to your nearest bookstore, library, Kindle store, or online purveyor of goods and pick them up immediately? Thank you.)

I know what you're thinking. Snape is...a weird choice. But I think all you have to do is read my letter to him to discover why Snape - who is, I think, my favorite character from literature probably ever  - is someone truly worthy of love.



Dear Severus,

Can I call you Severus? I hope that's OK. I just feel like I know you, and Professor Snape seems to formal, and Snape is too mean, so Severus it is.

I would like to take this moment to declare my undying love for you. OK, maybe you need a shower - greasy hair isn't really the best thing for anyone. And perhaps you have some skeletons in your closet...or tattooed on your arm. But who doesn't love a bad boy, particularly if that bad boy comes with his own ultimate bad-ass tattoo? The truth is, I much prefer to imagine you, my dear Severus, looking like this:

Vulnerable. Mysterious. Rickman.

Than this:

 Angry. Hateful. Eyebrows.

But, no matter what you look like, it's really your heart that matters. And I've seen your heart, Severus. You're part of the greatest love story never told. Even though your rash decisions and loyalty to the wizarding world's biggest bully killed the only person you ever truly loved, you did everything you could to stop it. And when it happened anyway, you continued to love her, to protect the things that she couldn't, even though it also meant protecting your enemy's child.

Despite everything you went through, your upbringing, your pureblood mania, in the end you changed it all for a girl you fell in love with on a playground. Your whole life revolved around her, nearly every decision you made. You were loyal to her even when it meant losing everything else. You risked your life daily to protect the thing your love died to save, even as every single person around you questioned your motives.

That, Severus, is love.

And so, Severus Snape, tonight I express my love for you, a love that I believe Lily never lost, even if you did say hurtful things to her. No one who can think of someone else with their last breath could possibly be hateful. There is so much love in your heart, Severus, if only you had room in it for me. But, alas, I know your heart belongs only to Lily Evans. And so I'll leave you, my dearest Severus, forgiving you for the mistakes you made, knowing that the torture you put yourself through is more than enough penance - though for you, you will never believe it to be.

Always,

Heather